Erin O'Toole: The Liberals' internet regulation bill opens the door to a massive abuse of power

Authored by nationalpost.com and submitted by dollarsandcents101
image for Erin O'Toole: The Liberals' internet regulation bill opens the door to a massive abuse of power

Share this Story: Erin O'Toole: The Liberals' internet regulation bill opens the door to a massive abuse of power

Erin O'Toole: The Liberals' internet regulation bill opens the door to a massive abuse of power Regulating the social media platforms of Canadians should never have been on the table Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Article content “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” When George Orwell wrote those words in the original preface to Animal Farm in the 1940s, the internet did not yet exist. It still didn’t years later when Orwell introduced us to the Thought Police and warned of Big Brother watching in 1984. But his powerful messages continue to resonate decades later because corrupt and authoritarian regimes have proven his writing was sadly never dystopian fantasy. And in the internet age, there are even more opportunities for regimes to monitor and control information, and quiet the voices of the people. We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Erin O'Toole: The Liberals' internet regulation bill opens the door to a massive abuse of power Back to video In a democratic society, abuses of power and authority can and should be freely called out without fear of retribution. Social media has rapidly become the key platform for this purpose, from cellphone videos of interactions with police to tweets from inside mass protests. Regulating social media, therefore, directly jeopardizes our ability to continue exercising this critical democratic freedom of expression.

Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content Orwell's powerful messages continue to resonate decades later But in the midst of a pandemic, while Canadians are stuck at home and relying on social media for information, connectivity and entertainment more than ever before, the Liberal government is quietly moving to radically change how Canadians can use social media. Internet advocates, civil liberties lawyers and academics have been highlighting the problems with last-minute Liberal changes to Bill C-10, and the Conservative opposition is demanding action. But the Trudeau government’s move raises a fundamental question for us to consider in the internet age. It is the same question that Orwell’s works left us asking. What kind of a society do we want to live in? Is it a society where our connectivity through social media leads to greater transparency and accountability? Or are Canadians prepared to have their liberty moderated by the CRTC? The problem with these questions is not where does your freedom start, but where does it end? The Liberals’ Bill C-10 is a very slippery slope. Even knowing this type of regulation could take place sends a chill on the free speech rights of Canadians.

Article content More On This Topic NP View: Bill C-10 is a mess — culture is dictated by the masses, not crusading Liberals Jesse Kline: Justin Trudeau and the CRTC are coming for your cat videos After becoming accustomed to using the internet and social media freely, how could the Trudeau government possibly believe that Canadians are prepared to now have that freedom curtailed through moderation by a government agency? Should a bureaucrat be monitoring your neighbourhood Facebook group or moderating your comments on news stories? Bill C-10 leaves the door open for a massive abuse of power and infringement on the rights of Canadians. Canada’s Conservatives are working hard to stop it and will oppose this bill vigorously. Regulating the social media platforms of Canadians should never have been on the table and was not at the start of Bill C-10. The original version of the bill had some flaws, but it explicitly exempted everyday Canadian users of social media from regulation. The Liberals changed their mind and quietly opened the door to limiting the freedom of expression online by removing the exemption. Canadians deserve to know why.

Article content Should a bureaucrat be monitoring your neighbourhood Facebook group? The internet has become a critical tool for everyday citizens to hold governments to account and have their voices heard. It is leading to social change, allowing the marginalized to have a stronger voice, and has become a great equalizer for citizens without the special access or insider privileges to get through to this Liberal government. That kind of power scares some governments, but it is a part of modern democracy and must be protected. Without social media users, we might never have seen the Arab Spring in Tahrir Square. We might not have witnessed China cracking down on student protesters in Hong Kong, or be able to follow Russian dissidents as they protest crackdowns on their media and free speech rights. Social media is how this generation is telling the story of democracy. It is to this generation what Radio Free Europe was to the Cold War. That freedom must be preserved. Canada’s Conservatives have asked for a Charter review of Bill C-10 given this major change. The Liberals denied our request and appear ready to make deals with other parties to drive it through. Conservatives support trying to level the playing field between large foreign streaming services and Canadian broadcasters, but not at the cost of Canadians’ fundamental rights and freedoms. Erin O’Toole is the Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Leader of the Official Opposition.

Share this article in your social network

Shopping essentials Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

NP Posted Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Beatle_Matt on May 8th, 2021 at 18:36 UTC »

1) we need to not further regulate free speech.

2) we need to absolutely break up the big three communication carriers by allowing competition.

kyleclements on May 8th, 2021 at 17:11 UTC »

For Liberals who support this horrible new bill, just remember: it doesn't go away the moment conservatives win an election. It just means they will be able to shape the flow of information voters recieve. Don't let it happen. Stop it now before that can ever happen.

truthishardtohear on May 8th, 2021 at 17:05 UTC »

Have to mark this day on my calendar. Something from O'Toole/Conservatives AND the National Post that I can actually agree with.

Seriously though, C-10 needs to be scrapped and completely reconsidered or just thrown out completely.